diff --git a/examples/basic-app/app/api/directory.ts b/examples/basic-app/app/api/directory.ts
index 59a9cf6d..dd5446cb 100644
--- a/examples/basic-app/app/api/directory.ts
+++ b/examples/basic-app/app/api/directory.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,27 @@
 import { defineEndpoint } from "@wrnexus/core";
-import type { Context } from "@wrnexus/core";
+import { SearchDirectorySchema } from "../schemas/search-directory.ts";
 
-const ALL = [
+interface DirectoryUser {
+  name: string;
+  designation: string;
+}
+
+const ALL: DirectoryUser[] = [
   { name: "Ajay", designation: "UI" },
   { name: "Asha", designation: "Backend" },
   { name: "Chen", designation: "UI" },
 ];
 
-export const POST = async (ctx: Context) => {
-  const body = (await ctx.req.json().catch(() => ({}))) as { name?: string };
-  const needle = String(body.name ?? "").toLowerCase();
-  return Response.json({ users: ALL.filter((user) => user.name.toLowerCase().includes(needle)) });
-};
+/**
+ * Schema-typed handler: input resolves to `{ name?: string }` from
+ * SearchDirectorySchema, so the block's request shape is checked for real
+ * (not against `unknown`, which the untyped-handler shape resolved to).
+ */
+export const POST = defineEndpoint<{ name?: string }, { users: DirectoryUser[] }>({
+  input: SearchDirectorySchema,
+  description: "Case-insensitive substring search over the demo directory by name.",
+  handler(input) {
+    const needle = String(input.name ?? "").toLowerCase();
+    return { users: ALL.filter((user) => user.name.toLowerCase().includes(needle)) };
+  },
+});
diff --git a/examples/basic-app/app/pages/api-block-demo.wrn b/examples/basic-app/app/pages/api-block-demo.wrn
index f2d999d3..36420dba 100644
--- a/examples/basic-app/app/pages/api-block-demo.wrn
+++ b/examples/basic-app/app/pages/api-block-demo.wrn
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ page ApiBlockDemo {
       }
 
       response {
-        return data.users
+        return data.data.users
       }
 
       error {
diff --git a/examples/basic-app/app/schemas/search-directory.ts b/examples/basic-app/app/schemas/search-directory.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..92c3fea0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/basic-app/app/schemas/search-directory.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import { v } from "@wrnexus/validation";
+
+export const SearchDirectorySchema = v.object({
+  name: v.string().trim().optional(),
+});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/endpoint.ts b/packages/core/src/endpoint.ts
index 1d3e6b27..118f4367 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/endpoint.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/endpoint.ts
@@ -96,7 +96,18 @@ export function defineEndpoint(
       if (definition.auth === "required" && !ctx.user) {
         throw new EndpointError(401, "UNAUTHENTICATED", "Authentication is required.");
       }
-      const input = definition.input ? schemaValue(definition.input, rawInput) : rawInput;
+      // The real HTTP router invokes route handlers as `handler(ctx)` — it never
+      // supplies a second argument. Callers that already have a parsed payload
+      // (unit tests, internal RPC-style calls) may still pass one explicitly, and
+      // that always wins. Otherwise, read the request ourselves: query params for
+      // GET/HEAD, JSON body for everything else.
+      const resolvedInput =
+        rawInput !== undefined
+          ? rawInput
+          : ctx.req.method.toUpperCase() === "GET" || ctx.req.method.toUpperCase() === "HEAD"
+            ? Object.fromEntries(ctx.url.searchParams)
+            : await ctx.req.json().catch(() => ({}));
+      const input = definition.input ? schemaValue(definition.input, resolvedInput) : resolvedInput;
       const rawOutput = await definition.handler(input, ctx);
       const output = definition.output ? schemaValue(definition.output, rawOutput) : rawOutput;
       return output instanceof Response ? output : json({ data: output });